On the Baisakhi day of 1699, Guru Gobind Singh created the order of Khalsa.
Creation of Khalsa represented the culmination of Guru Gobind Singh's purpose in life and realisation and fruition of the efforts of the other nine Gurus who had preceded him. The Khalsa were to be the
instrument for the advanced of humanity. This event took the people out of their helplessness and passivity, and helped to abolish the devastating distinctions of caste and destructive superstitious beliefs.
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The birth of the Khalsa aroused the dormant energies of the
people and inculcated in them the sense of self-confidence, self-responsiblity and courageousness, bringing about a revolutionary change in their seemingly hopeless predicament. Unfaltering faith in God and
the Guru and fearlessness became their double-edged sword in the battle of life.
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The creation of the Khalsa was psychological miracle that marked the
emergence of the Sikh bravery, nobility, honour and the willingness to make sacrifices for the welfare of society. The use of arms were permitted only as a last resort, and always in defence, rather than for
purpose of territorial conquest or selfish motives
Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1539). He was followed by nine successors. The Programme initiated by Guru Nanak was completed by 10
th & the last Guru- Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who formalised the present distinctive features of Sikhs. It is yet not 300 years when he left this world in 1708 AD; yet Sikhism is the 7th
major religion of the world with the population of over 20 million.
Concept of God:
To describe his monotheism, Guru Nanak coined a two letter world " " (lk Onkar) in which the first letter is the numerical figure of 'one-ness', 'supremacy', 'infiniteness', 'infiniteness', 'indivisibility', and 'eternity'. For some scholars, it is an expression of TRANSCENDENCE (distinct from the world) and IMMANENCE (presence throughout the world). Guru Nanak's attributes of God defy translation-nearly 500 are already there. The essence of his philosophy is "The creator of all is one. Truth is His Name. He is doer of every thing. He is without fear and without enmity. His form is immortal. He is unborn and self illumined. He is realised by Guru's Grace".
Reality of World:
For Sikhs, this world is not unreal or place of suffering, nor human life is punishment. Guru Nanak very clearly says "Real are Thy universes, regions, countries and created objects. Real are Thy works. Thy purposes. Thy rule...", further, this world is "His Mansions" and a "Dharamsal" or a place for righteous action. This human life, in fact is a rare opportunity for spiritual fulfilment.
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